"Fine," Raizer muttered, his voice a low vibration of defeat. He stepped back, swinging the door wide with a theatrical lack of enthusiasm. "But if you track blood on the rug, I'm charging you for the professional cleaning. And that's a S.H.I.E.L.D.-certified rate. It's expensive."
[I though SHIELD did that for free?]
'They don't know that.'
Gabriela let out a breath she seemed to have been holding since the previous night. She practically collapsed into the hallway, her legs still shaky despite the Verdant Rebirth that had stitched her back together. Laura, however, walked in with the silent, deliberate gait of a cat entering a new territory. Her eyes never stopped moving, mapping every exit, every corner, and every potential weapon in the room.
"Make yourselves at home," Raizer said, walking toward the kitchen. "Which, in this house, means stay on the furniture and don't touch the anything that looks expensive."
- Clash! Crack!
Laura looked at the fallen vase and then back at Raizer.
"It's fine. That was a first copy. Got it cheap."
She nodded and moved on.
.
.
.
While the King was reluctantly opening his doors in New York, the temperature was rising on the opposite side of the country.
Deep within the sterilized, subterranean bowels of the Alkali-Transigen headquarters in Nevada, the air didn't smell like fresh paint or lemon water. It smelled of ozone, burnt flesh, and the cold, metallic tang of industrial-grade hate.
Donald Pierce sat in a high-backed leather chair, his cybernetic hand whirring as he rhythmically tapped his fingers against the armrest. On the massive screens before him, the footage from the Queens 'incident' played on a loop. He watched the twelve violet orbs manifest. He watched them vanish. He watched his best tactical team drop like marionettes with their strings cut.
"The girl is a minor variable," Pierce rasped, his eyes fixed on the man in the sharp suit on the screen. "But this... this is a problem. He didn't use a mutation. He didn't use tech. The energy signature doesn't match anything in the database."
"That's because it's not biological," a voice boomed from the shadows of the room.
Bolivar Trask stepped into the light, his spectacles reflecting the blue glow of the monitors. Beside him stood a holographic projection of a Sentinel Mark I, its internal logic circuits currently being rewritten.
"We've spent decades preparing for the X-Men," Trask said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and scientific fervor. "But this 'Raizer Haze' is an anomaly. He operates on a level of conceptual authority that makes the Brotherhood look like children with firecrackers. If we allow an Omega-level variable like this to remain free, our Sentinels won't just be obsolete; they'll be scrap metal."
"Then we change the plan," Pierce said, a cruel smile stretching across his face. "The X-Men are predictable. They have a school; they have a code. This man has neither. He's a predator who happens to play god."
Trask nodded, tapping a command into his console. "I've already coordinated with our hidden partners. We're integrating the Transigen 'X-24' project with the Sentinel core logic. We won't just hunt him. We will overwhelm him with sheer, mindless attrition. He can stop twelve, ordinary men. Let's see how he handles one God."
The two of the most dangerous organizations on the planet had just shaken hands. In their eyes, Raizer wasn't just a witness anymore. He was the 'Ultimate Threat' to be neutralized.
.
.
.
Back in New York, the 'Ultimate Threat' was currently struggling with a plastic film cover.
"Dinner is served," Raizer announced, sliding two steaming containers of instant beef yakisoba across the kitchen.
Gabriela stared at the flash-frozen, sodium-heavy noodles with an expression of genuine concern. She looked at Raizer, then back at the food, her motherly instincts overriding her fear of the man who had resurrected her.
"Mr. Haze," Gabriela began tentatively, "this is... processed. Very processed. It's not good for growing children to eat instant food. It lacks the essential vitamins and proteins for proper cellular development."
Raizer, who was already halfway through his own cup of spicy seafood ramen, paused with a noodle hanging from his lip.
He swallowed and shrugged. "I'm twenty-four, Gabriela. My cells stopped developing three years ago. Now they just endure. Besides, this brand has 'added minerals.' It says so on the label."
Laura, who was sitting on a barstool with her feet tucked under her like a gargoyle, gave him a look. It wasn't a growl, but it was a blank, soul-piercing stare. Her eyes moved from Raizer's face to the cup of ramen, and then back again.
'She's talking about me, old man', the stare clearly said.
"Don't look at me like that," Raizer muttered, pointing his chopsticks at her. "I saved your life. That entitles me to feed you whatever is in my pantry. And my pantry is currently 80% frozen foods and 20% ice-cream. And you can't have my ice-cream!"
"She needs fresh vegetables," Gabriela insisted, her voice gaining a bit of strength. "And iron. Her body is constantly regenerating. The caloric intake required to maintain adamantium-bonded bone marrow is-"
"I have a high-efficiency refrigerator," Raizer interrupted, pointing to the empty corner where the appliance used to be. "Or I did, until Magneto decided it would make a great projectile. Right now, we are in a 'disaster recovery' phase of nutrition. You eat the sodium, or you eat nothing."
Laura didn't move for a long moment. Then, slowly, she reached out a hand. Her movements were jerky, as if she weren't used to handled objects that weren't meant for killing. She picked up the plastic fork, sniffed the yakisoba for a full ten seconds, and then took a massive, ravenous bite.
Her eyes widened. The salt and artificial flavorings hit her tongue like a lightning bolt. She began to inhale the noodles with a ferocity that made Gabriela wince.
"See?" Raizer said, returning to his ramen. "She loves it. High-density calories for a high-density brat."
"She's not a brat," Gabriela whispered, watching Laura eat. "She's a miracle."
"She's a brat," Raizer corrected, though his voice lacked its usual bite. "A miracle would have come with a bank account and a lack of trained pursuers. She comes with sleepless night and trauma, aka a brat."
An hour later, the apartment had settled into an awkward, domestic silence. Gabriela had fallen asleep in the bedroom, her body finally giving in to the exhaustion of her near-death experience.
Once again, Raizer rested on the sofa, the blue glow of his monitors illuminating his face as he watched the anime. His senses were active, a thin thread of energy keeping him alert even as his body rested.
He felt a presence behind him. He didn't turn around; he didn't need to. With a flick of his intent, he switched his primary screen to a complex display of stock trading, maintaining the appearance of a hard-working salaryman while feeling the curious energy signature of the girl standing by the edge of his sofa.
"You should be sleeping," Raizer said, his fingers dancing across the keypad. "The bed room has 800-thread-count sheets. Even a feral child should be able to appreciate that... And counting threads isn't weird," he clarified at the end.
Laura didn't speak. She walked closer, her footsteps making absolutely no sound on the hardwood. She stopped beside his sofa, staring at the glowing tickers on the screen.
"What?" Raizer asked, finally looking at her.
Laura pointed at a specific red line on the graph, a company called Essex Corp.
"Bad," she whispered. It was the first time he had heard her voice. It was raspy, unused, and heavy with a strange kind of recognition.
Raizer's eyes narrowed. "Bad for the world, or bad for my profit margins?"
Laura didn't answer. She just stood there, her small hand reaching out to touch the cool glass of the monitor. She looked at Raizer again, her eyes searching his. For a moment, the 'King' and the 'Weapon' just looked at each other.
"You know what, come here," Raizer sat up straight and created space on the sofa for her. She sat down obediently while he switched the screens again.
"Let's watch anime. It's how the modern families raise their kids."
"..."
She shot him a side-eye, full of innocence.
"I'm not lying."
He insisted it was the right method to raise 'men of culture'.
[What should we watch first? Let's start with 'My Hero Academia' for the young one.]
Heeding the system's advice, Raizer put on the story of a green-haired crybaby hero. It was supposed to be a bonding moment, but the combination of a long day and the rhythmic sounds of battle scenes was a sedative. By the end of the first few episodes, Raizer was snoring softly.
Laura sat alone on the sofa, bathed in the flickering light of the screen. She didn't sleep. She binge-watched the entire two seasons of MHA with the intensity of someone studying a tactical manual, her eyes reflecting every Detroit Smash.
The next morning, the King's dignity didn't just crumble; it was pulverized.
"Do you know how irresponsible it is?!" Gabriela's voice hit a frequency that 'King's Resolve (EX)' actually tried to filter out as a psychic attack. "You let an unsupervised child watch anime all night?!"
"In my defense-"
"You have no defense!" Gabriela cut him off, pacing the living room like a drill sergeant. "Do you really think it is good for a child to stay up all night staring at blue light? Her brain is still developing! Her healing factor needs rest to recalibrate!"
Raizer glared at Laura, who was sitting on the floor, still fiddling with his tablet, looking remarkably refreshed for someone who hadn't slept. She looked up at him, then back at the screen, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Stop blaming the child!" Gabriela continued, oblivious to Laura's hidden amusement. "She didn't know any better. She's been in a lab! But you? You're a grown man!"
Gabriela had completely forgotten her fear of the 'King'. The man who had dismantled the Brotherhood was currently being chided like a teenager who had forgotten to take out the trash. For the next hour, she dissected his character, his lifestyle, and his lack of a proper routine.
'System,' Raizer thought, his head drooping as the lecture entered its second forty-five-minute block. 'Can you throw me into another world already? Maybe one with less yelling?'
[I'm afraid I can't help you, Host. Watching you get scolded is way better than fighting monsters. That's the greatest reason why I love your mother!]
By the end of the lecture, Raizer was slumped over the kitchen counter in a half-dead state. His spirit was drained more than it had been during the Juggernaut fight.
"I'm going to work," he croaked, grabbing his briefcase. "If the Alkali-Transigen attack, tell them to wait in line. I don't do two task at once without extra pay."
Gabriela huffed, handing him a piece of toast. "Eat. You look pale."
Raizer took the toast and fled.
The commute to the office was supposed to be Raizer's sanctuary. A time for fiscal meditation and quiet resentment of public transit.
But as he turned the corner onto 42nd Street, the silence he so dearly craved manifested in a way that set his senses screaming in alarm.
The intersection, usually a chaotic hive of yellow taxis and aggressive street vendors, was unnervingly vacant. The silence was heavy, like the air inside a tomb. Not a single car sat idling; not a single pigeon fluttered in the gutters. The city had been surgically hollowed out.
- Tak! Tak!
The sound of heavy boots on asphalt echoed off the skyscrapers. From the shimmering heat haze of the midday sun emerged a silhouette. He was bulky, thick-necked, and walked with a hunched, predatory gait that Raizer recognized instantly.
"Wolverine?" Raizer asked, though his senses told him a different story.
The man didn't answer. He looked like Logan—the same mutton chops, the same brooding brow—but his eyes were dead. They weren't filled with the weary rage of the man Raizer had met with Xavier; they were glowing with a faint, mechanical violet light.
"Let me guess," Raizer sighed, dropping his briefcase. "You're X24. You do look more handsome than the original, I'll give you that. Less 'homeless veteran,' more 'designer war-machine.' I guess trendy weapon sell better."
Raizer cracked his neck. This wasn't just a mutant. This was Alkali-Transigen's greatest weapon.
As if agreeing to that fact, X24 didn't posture. It lunged.
The clone moved with a speed that defied its bulk. In a heartbeat, it was in Raizer's personal space, its adamantium claws snapping out with a sound like a guillotine.
Raizer didn't flinch. He didn't move his feet. He simply raised his hand, mana coalescing around his fingertips until it sharpened into a razor-thin crescent of shimmering blue energy.
Winged Blade: Phantom
With a flick of his wrist, the blade hissed through the air. X24 attempted to block with its claws, but the mana blade was built for high-frequency oscillation. It slid past the adamantium and bit deep into X24's shoulder, carving through muscle and bone before exploding in a burst of kinetic force that sent the clone tumbling back.
It was actually aimed for the neck but the machine dodged in the last moment. A purple light glinting in its calculating eyes. X24 stepped out of the dust, cracking its neck. The deep gouge on the shoulder didn't just heal; it bubbled with a violet light. Its dead eyes flickered. A soft, synthesized voice emanated from the throat: "Energy-based slashing identified. Adjusting molecular density. Implementing anti-vibration plating."
'Man, I wasted the perfect opportunity to end it at once,' Raizer didn't regret it though. He simply raised his hand, condensing tens of concentrated magic blades behind him.
Winged Blade: Phantom Storm
All those blades shot out at once, with the singular aim of ripping X24's head from the torso. X24 didn't dodge. it stood still as the blades struck. The attack destroyed the entire street, leaving claw-like, blade marks everywhere.
- BOOMMM!
However, the main target was unharmed. Instead of piercing, the energy blades splashed against its skin as if they had hit a mirror. Its flesh had turned a dull, matte-grey; a bio-organic alloy designed to disperse the magical resonance.
Raizer's eyes narrowed, "Fck! Did someone change the script without telling me?"
'Did he just adapt to my magic after tanking the first hit? That reminds me of something.'
"Useless," X24 rasped.
Watching the 'weapon' close the distance, Raizer didn't reach for a spell. Instead, he took a deep, rhythmic breath, his internal mana churning and compressing into the fiery, golden essence of Chi.
Chi-Boost: Quake
As the claws whistled toward his throat, Raizer stepped into the strike. His palm, glowing with an intense, golden heat, slammed into X24's solar plexus. The air behind the clone exploded outward in a conical shockwave of pure kinetic force. X24 was launched backward, skip-rolling across the asphalt for fifty yards before slamming into a parked bus.
Raizer pulled his hands back in a slow, circular motion, the golden light of Chi dancing between his fingers.
"Bio-kinetic shockwave identified. Adjusting internal dampeners. Realigning cellular density to absorb impact."
But the robotic voice shattered his victory.
"What in the Mahoraga are you?"
Raizer didn't wait. He blurred, his boots cracking the pavement as he appeared in front of X24. He unleashed a barrage of Chi-Boosted strikes; punches and kicks that moved faster than the human eye could track. Each hit landed with the sound of a cannon blast.
Only a streak of gold light was seen. And a hundred strike impacted X24 at the same moment.
- BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
For a moment, it worked. X24 was being systematically dismantled, the bio-mechanical limbs vibrating violently under the internal pressure of the Chi. Every strike vaporized the weapon's cells, leaving nothing to heal from.
However, the tide shifted mid-strike. Raizer threw a heavy straight punch, but X24 didn't flinch. The clone simply leaned its head into the blow. Instead of shattering bone, Raizer's fist felt like it had hit a mountain of dense, absorbing clay. X24's skin had turned a dull, matte-black, and the golden Chi was being sucked into the clone's pores.
"Adaptation complete," the machine rasped. "Energy-frequency harmonized. Converting kinetic energy into auxiliary power."
X24 grabbed Raizer's arm. The grip was impossible. Raizer felt his Chi being literally drained, the golden glow flickering as the Sentinel core inside X24 began to feed on his energy.
"Fck you!"
Raizer gathered mana on his free arm, clenching his fist as he escaped X24's grip with Absolute Control.
Chi-Boost: Burst
A golden dragon burst out of his palm as he struck X24's heart. It was the same move he used on Phryne in the world of Danmachi. It was his only move having the intent to kill.
The dragon blazed, striking the robot. However, its cells warped and shifted dynamically, devouring the dragon in return.
The purple glint X24's eyes turned golden as it lowered its body, pulling its arm back as Raizer did. Raizer had a bad premonition and jumped back with his speed, boosted by Chi. Unfortunately, X24 followed, having augmented its speed too with the same method.
Unlike Raizer who valued efficiency and damage-control, X24 was throwing everything it had into this.
Chi-Boost: Burst
An ominous, purple dragon shot out of its palm, threatening to devour Raizen.
- Boom! BAAM! BOOOMMM!!!
A loud explosion rang out in the street, destroying it completely. Unlike Raizen who aimed to kill only X24, the sentinel mutant intended to obliterate everything. The attack wiped the entire street from existence.
The buildings came crashing down, raising dust as X24 walked alone. Its purple eyes gleaming with an unfinished task.
- Britzle!
Despite the successful attack, something burst in its internal processors. It was the energy detector, something that warned the weapon of enemy's threat levels. And right now, it was broken due to an overload.
- THUMP!
Because of a single beat.